Leading Evangelical Convention Votes to Condemn the Use of IVF

(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

Evangelicals attending the Southern Baptist Convention voted on Wednesday to oppose in vitro fertilization.

New York Times journalist Ruth Graham first reported the news from the convention in Indianapolis. More than 10,000 evangelical “messengers” are attending the convention, and the vote was the first time the convention touched on the subject of IVF.

The resolution presented to the group likened IVF to abortion, which the group opposes, referring to protecting “life” including “those in an embryonic state.”

The resolution was to “reaffirm the unconditional value and right to life of every human being, including those in an embryonic stage, and to only utilize reproductive technologies consistent with that affirmation, especially in the number of embryos generated in the I.V.F. process.”

The leading evangelical group, which sports well over 10 million members, raised concerns last month in a letter to the U.S. Senate, claiming IVF treatments are harmful and called for people to be more aware of the “moral concerns” around the treatment.

IVF has become a hotly-debated topic, especially in light of the Alabama Supreme Court ruling that frozen embryos are unborn children, massively complicating IVF treatments in the state. The Republican-led legislature later put forth a bill to protect IVF treatments, which was signed by the governor.

The issue has split conservatives. Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said he opposed the state court’s ruling

“We want to make it easier for mothers and fathers to have babies, not harder! That includes supporting the availability of fertility treatments like IVF in every State in America. Like the OVERWHELMING MAJORITY of Americans, including the VAST MAJORITY of Republicans, Conservatives, Christians, and Pro-Life Americans, I strongly support the availability of IVF for couples who are trying to have a precious baby,” he wrote on Truth Social.

R. Albert Mohler Jr. , the president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, was one of two to submit the resolution and he told the Times a day before the actual vote that Republicans working to protect IVF are inconsistent.

“I want to do more than nudge Republicans who are against us on this. I want to call them out for their error and inconsistency,” he said.